Electric railway.



No. 695,988. Patented Mar. 25,1902.

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ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

(Application filed Aug. 24, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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Moran-mo" WASHKNGYON n c STATES Dire ATENT OFFICE.

GRANVILLE T. W'OODS, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL ILEOTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEYV YORK.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SE EGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,988, dated March 25, 1902. Application filed August 24,1900. Serial No. 27,902. (No model.)

To all whom it may OOH/087':

Beitknown that I, GRANVILLE T. \VOODS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county and State of New York, have 5 invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, (Case No. 1,033,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric railways of the sectional-conductor type; and it con sists in the herein-described novel means of energizing successively the conductor-sections of such a railway.

The drawing illustrates in diagram the apparatus on a portion of such a railway, to-

I gether with a car and accompanying apparatus.

G represents the main generator,which supplies current to the feeder F, return being through the track-rails T and the wheels of the car. As shown, the conductor-sections extend in a single line and are grouped together in sets, each set comprising a plural ity of sections which are connected together in a set by resistances r, 4", 1- and 1- A motor-collector TV is carried by the car and conuected with the controller L and the car-motor M and is adapted to engage with the conductor-sections O, &c. Gratdty-switches S S are adapted to connect the sections of each 0 set with the feeder as the car advances. For this purpose a switch-energizing contact device WV is carried by the car and adapted to engage the conductor-sections and is also connected to the secondary battery B or other source of current carried by the car and with the controller L.

Conductors U U connect the switches with the conductor-sections, and conductors D, D, D and D connect the conductor-sections to- 0 gether in sets. f r

The operation may be described as follows: Assume that the car is moving to the right, that the switch S is energized, and that the switch S is about to be energized, as shown in the drawing. Current is now flowing from the feeder F through the series-coils O and O to the conductor-secti0n C through the motor-collector TV, the motor M, and the controller L to ground. The resistance r is so pro- 0 portioned that a portion of the current fl0w ing' through the switch S will be shunted through the conductors A and D to the conductor-section C through the switch-energizing contact device W to the conductorsection C of the advance set of sections, 5; thence through the conductors D and A and the coil O ot' the switch S to energize the magnet-coil and close the switch. After passing through the coil 0 the current flows through the section C to the forward shoe of the motor-collector V to complete the shunt. The switch S being now closed, current will flow from the feeder F through the series coils O and O to the conductor C and the motoncollector V, branching at A, as at A in the previous set of sections, and when the device XV engages the section 0 flowing through the conductor D to said device to energize the next succeeding switch-magnet. It will be observed that collectors, conductorsections, and resistances are so arranged that the car will operate when moving in either direction. After the rear shoe of the motorcollector \V has left the section O and while its forward shoe is collecting current from the section C the said rear shoe engages the section C and receives current through the branch conductors A and D. As soon as the circuit of the coil O is broken, when the rear shoe of the collector \V leaves the section 0 the coil 0 will discharge around the loop 0 r, O, D, and A, the resistance 4' being small enough to permit the passage of a discharge. WVheu it is desired to start the car from a dead conductor-section, the handle of the eontroller L is turned to a position where it will engage the contacts H and K. Acircnit will thereupon be completed from the battery through the contact device W to energize the switchmagnet, returning through the 001- lector NV and the conductor N to the battery. While the handle of the controller connects the contacts 11 and K afteraswitch has been closed the battery will be charged by current flowing through the branch N. 5 Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electric railway, the combination with the feeder, of conductor-sections, electromagnetic switches for connecting the latter with the former, a motor-collector and a necting the latter with the former, a plurality switch-energizing contact device carried by the car, and resistances connecting adjacent conductor-sections engaged by said collector and contact device, said resistances serving to shunt a portion of the current flowing to the collector, through the switch-energizing contact device and the magnet of the switch of an advance section.

2. In an electric railway, the combination with the feeder, of a single line of conductorsections, electromagnetic switches for conof successive conductor-sections constituting a set, resistances connecting together the members of each set, a motor-collector and a switch-energizing contact device carried by the car, said resistances serving to shunt the portion of the current flowing to the motorcollector through the switch-energizing device and the magnet of the switch of an advance section.

3. In an electric railway, the combination with the feeder, of conductor-sections, electromagnetic switches for connecting the latter with the former, three successive conductor-sections constituting a set, resistances connecting together the sections of each set, a connection between the switch of a set and the sections thereof, a connection between the magnet-coil of the switch of a set and the sections thereof, and a motor-collector and a switch-energizingcontact device carried by 1 the car, which bridge adjacent sets of sections. v r

4. In an electric railway, the combination with the feeder, of conductor-sections, electromagnetic switches for connecting the latter with the former, and closed circuits for the seondary discharge of the magnet-coils.

5. In an electric railway, the combination with the feeder, of conductor-sections, electromagnetic switches for connecting the latter with the former, several conductor-sections constituting a set, resistances connecting together the sections of each set, a connection between the switch of a set and the sections thereof, a connection between the magnet-coil of the switch of a set and the sections thereof, and a motor-collector and a switch-energizing contact device which bridge adjacent sets of sections, said resistances being sufficiently large to shunt a part of the main current through the switch-energizing device, and sufficiently small to receive the secondary discharge of the magnets around the closed circuits formed by the sections of a set and the connections described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22d day of August, 1900.

GRANVILLE T. WVOODS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES T. HUGHES, O. REID. 

